A bow tied
With delicate precision
Made beautiful in the form
And held in tension

A promise believed
Fragile in humanity
Durible in hope
Generous, free

A conversation
Call
Response
Steadiness, connected

An opening
Vulnerability
Everything could be broken here
Resisting the urge to close
Because the goodness lies within
Terrifying and terrific
Friendship

The sun sets as I look at your face.
        Eyes sparkling,
                  Cheeks glowing,
                                 And your heart full.

The sun falls into darkness as you look at me.
         Eyes dull,
                   Cheeks pale,
                                  And your heart empty.

Autumn is just around the corner
quite a lot of rain
Some flowers starting to die back
Birds seem quieter now
The breeding season is over

We are nothing without love
Ships lost at sea without their sails
With life's bitter storms soon too come
We need love above all else

We are nothing without love
Too steep the hill too hard the climb
Too late to grasp what is to come
As we succumb to life's mudslides

We are nothing without love
An empty train on a dead-end track
At the end without reverse
With no way to make it back

We are nothing without love
An unmade bed with no rest
Those that are left, toss and turn
With only dreams of love instead

We are nothing without love
Abandoned buildings, emptiness
Demolition soon to come
We are nothing without love

What takes a moment and moves it beyond
... a touch of love

What is the one thing you can always count on
... a touch of love

Can change the direction of any given day
... a touch of love

When in an argument, has the last say
... a touch of love

Able to bring beasts to their knees
... a touch of love

Grabs hold the captive and sets them free
... a touch of love

Surpasses understanding to the warm hearts delight
... a touch of love

Never demanding always just right
... a touch of love

Can calm any fear, true or made up
... a touch of love

Perfectly balanced, the perfect touch
... a touch of love

There's a chef in my mind
That does all the cooking
Mixing words into rhyme
Brings home the bacon

Changes up recipes
Stirring freely
In and out of the pan
With poetic ease

If it's not to his taste
He spices it up
Broiled, fried, or baked
Poems served up for lunch

It's like he's on a mission
Always in my kitchen
Trying new recipes out
On whoever will listen

The chef in my mind
That does all the cooking
Mixing words into rhyme
Brings home the bacon

If love was a color
What one would you choose
A bright red bouquet
Or oceans of blue
The color of Fall
On a soft afternoon
Or would you decide
On the color chartreuse

Would it be the deep green
Of a walk in the park
Or the brilliant sunset
As the day's growing dark
Maybe the color that beats
Inside of the heart
With so many colors
Where would you start

Could it be the color of Spring
As her flowers set bloom
A gold wedding bells ring
On a warm afternoon
A mud red country road
On which to whistle a tune
Or would you choose them all
If you could choose

Don't be depressed
When you open your wallet
Or stick calloused hands
Into empty pockets

Where the lap that you have
Is not luxury
Don't worry,
The best things in life are free

From the smile of a child
To the holding of hands
Or when a friend gives
Words of encouragement
When someone you know
Says something nice
And you see that they mean it
By the look in their eyes
That soft warming glow
When you know you're in love
When that someone you love
Says you're more than enough
When the sun comes around
To another new day
Giving another chance
To get it all straight

So don't be depressed
When you open your wallet
Or stick calloused hands
Into empty pockets

Where the lap that you have
Is not luxury
Don't worry,
The best things in life are free